Former New Territories (Rise of the Snow Lion)
Scenario: Rise of the Snow Lion See also: Republic of Hong Kong The New Territories '''(Chữ Nôm: 新界, Quốc Ngữ: Tân Giới) was a historical territory of Hong Kong during its period under British rule (1841-1997) as well as under Chinese occupation as the "HKSAR" (1997-2019). It is defined as the territories north of Boundary Street in Kowloon Tong up to the Sham Chun River, as defined by the Second Convention of Peking signed between Britain and the Qing Empire. It is currently administered as part of '''Nam Việt Province by the Islamic Empire of Great Vietnam. History The New Territories became part of Hong Kong in 1898. It fell under occupation together with the rest of Hong Kong by the People's Republic of China in 1997 as part of the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)". It was incorporated into the city of Shenzhen after the dissolution of the HKSAR in 2019. It was then briefly controlled by the short-lived Republic of Lingnan (2047-2075) before its annexation by Vietnam. Under Vietnamese rule, it was officially reorganised into four cities : Cửu Long Bắc (九龍北), Cát Pô (沙埔), Thôn Môn (屯門) and La Hồ (羅湖). However, older residents of these cities, particularly those of Cantonese ethnicity, still prefer use the term "New Territories" to refer to the entire region. Since the infrastructure of the New Territories had become closely intertwined with that of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island in the past two centuries, Hong Kong effectively became a "divided city" similar to East and West Berlin during the Cold War. A concrete wall runs the entire length of Boundary Street with the purpose of preventing Vietnamese refugees from defecting to Hong Kong. Demographics Ethnic groups The majority of the former New Territories residents (70%) are of Cantonese ethnicity and speak Cantonese as their native language. There is a small minority of Hokkien, Hakka and Tanka people concentrated in the northern outlying islands. All of these are officially classified by the Vietnamese Government as belonging to the Hoa ethnic group (Chữ Nôm: ��華, Quốc Ngữ: Người Hoa, "Chinese people"). There is also a sizeable Vietnamese community (25%) due to increased migration from the Vietnamese mainland to Nam Việt Province. Languages The official language is Vietnamese, which is spoken natively by 25% of the population and is the dominant language used in administration, public services and education. It is spoken as a second language by around 35% of the population. Both the Chữ Nôm and Quốc Ngữ written forms are co-official, with Chữ Nôm being more commonly used due to the region's Chinese heritage. This stands in contrast with the situation on the Vietnamese mainland where Quốc Ngữ is still dominant despite the government's efforts to reintroduce Chữ Nôm in everyday usage. Similar to the rest of Nam Việt Province, Cantonese is recognised as a regional language and it is remains the most widely used language in most spheres of daily life. It is written using Chinese characters, with a new Vietnamese-based romanisation system (粵拼, Việt Bính) introduced in 2064. However, the use of Cantonese is declining among the younger generation as all of primary and secondary education is carried out in Vietnamese and many young people are leaving their hometowns to study or work on the Vietnamese mainland. Religion The state religion of Vietnam is Sunni Islam. However, less than 10% of the population of the former New Territories are practising Muslims. The majority (70%) adhere to a syncretism of Buddhism, Taoism and various traditional folk beliefs, which has been the dominant religion in the area for centuries. There is also a Christian minority. The Vietnamese government officially discourages the practice of "infidel" religions but has tolerated their coexistence alongside Islam for the sake of social stability, and allows churches and temples to continue to operate, but has banned proselytising. Islamic worship is compulsory in all primary and secondary schools. New converts are offered lucrative benefits, such as reduced taxes and easier access to higher education, as an incentive for the local populace to convert to Islam. There are currently 15 mosques in the former New Territories, all of which are under the authority of the Vietnamese Ministry of Religion, the state body responsible for regulation of organised religion in the country. Numerous former Taoist or Buddhist temples, including Che Kung Temple and Wong Tai Sin Temple, have been rebuilt and converted into mosques. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Vietnamese rule, the Grand Mosque of Cửu Long '(殿大回教九龍 Đền Đại Hồi Giáo Cửu Long), the largest mosque in Nam Việt province, was constructed on a patch of vacant land atop the former Shek Kip Mei Hill. In addition to the main prayer hall, it also contains an Islamic education centre, a library and a community centre. It faces Boundary Street directly and has been criticised by the Hong Kong government as being a propaganda tool. Residents in the neighbouring Prince Edward district of Kowloon South City have also complained of the noise produced due to the constant broadcasting of prayers through the mosque's loudspeakers. However, the Vietnamese government maintains that the mosque has contributed much to the promotion of interfaith dialogue and has increased the general acceptance of the Islamic religion among the Cantonese-speaking population of the former New Territories. Transport ''See also: Transport in the Republic of Hong Kong The 'Nam Việt Metro '(塘鐵南粵 Đường Sắt Nam Việt), which forms part of the state-owned Vietnamese Railways, provides public transport services in the former New Territories. During the Republic of Lingnan administration, as well as the first few years following the Vietnamese annexation, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) continued to operate metro services in the former New Territories. The border between Hong Kong and the neighbouring Vietnamese city of Cửu Long Bắc remained open, which allowed unrestricted travel to and from the two countries. However, following the Hong Kong-Vietnamese War in 2079, the Vietnamese government closed the border and built a wall along Boundary Street. The parts of the MTR network which lay within Vietnamese territory were incorporated into the Nam Việt Metro and became cut off from the Hong Kong rail system. Northbound trains on the MTR now terminate at Prince Edward Station, where passengers can change to the Nam Việt Metro at '''Grand Mosque Station (㗎殿大回教 Ga Đền Đại Hồi Giáo) after crossing the border into Vietnam. Since the entire country of Vietnam including Nam Việt province follows the Saigon timezone, there is a one-hour time difference upon crossing the border. The former Chek Lap Kok Airport functioned briefly as a military airfield for the Vietnamese Air Force. It was demolished in 2081 and converted into a residential area. International and domestic flight services were moved to the nearby Bảo An International Airport (����國際寶安 Sân Bay Quốc Tế Bảo An), which had been greatly expanded with five runways. Education Primary and secondary education Primary and secondary education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Training. All schools are controlled and funded by the state and private schools are banned. All children and adolescents aged six to eighteen receive 12 years of mandatory education and must sit for the Vietnamese High School Graduation Examination '''at the end of their studies, in order to proceed to higher education. Compulsory subjects include Vietnamese language and literature, Islamic scripture and mathematics. The official language of instruction is Vietnamese; however in practice this rule is rarely enforced and most teachers prefer to conduct classes in Cantonese so that their students can learn more easily. A second language is also offered at some schools. This can be chosen from Cantonese, Classical (Qur'anic) Arabic, French and English. Islamic worship is mandatory and all students are required to pray five times a day, irrespective of their individual beliefs, and fast during the day in the month of Ramadan. An imam is present in every school, who usually occupies a senior position and is involved in the pastoral care of students. No practice or study of any other religion is allowed in schools, except in the form of 'comparative religion', and even so study must always be approached from an Islamocentric perspective and from prescribed textbooks approved by the Ministry of Religion. Higher education There are currently seven institutes offering higher education in the former New Territories, all of which were established before the Vietnamese annexation. However, many of the original faculty fled to the Republic of Hong Kong out of fears that academic freedom would be compromised under an Islamic theocracy. They were welcomed by the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong's only institute of higher education. Under the new administration, the faculties of the respective universities were reorganised, with each institute specialising in a particular field of study. Admission to higher education is based on performance in the High School Graduation Examination. Political and religious factors also play a role in the selection process. An increasing number of school leavers in the former New Territories choose to study in universities in large Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi and Saigon. * Cửu Long Bắc ** '''Cửu Long Islamic University (大學回教九龍 Đại Học Hồi Giáo Cửu Long): Formerly the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). Specialises in Islamic theology and religious studies. ** Cửu Long City University (大學城舖九龍 Đại Học Thành Phố Cửu Long): Formerly the Hong Kong City University (CityU). Specialises in architecture and urban studies. ** Cửu Long' University of Science and Technology '(大學科學吧工藝九龍 Đại Học Khoa Học Và Công Nghệ Cửu Long): Formerly the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Specialises in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. * Cát Pô ** Cát Pô Hoa University (大學㗂華沙埔 Đại Học Tiếng Hoa Cát Pô): Formerly the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Specialises in law, humanities and languages. ** Cát Pô Medical University '(大學醫沙埔 Đại Học Y Cát Pô): Formerly the CUHK Faculty of Medicine. ''Specialises in medicine and health sciences. * Thôn Môn ** '''Thôn Môn Cây Nhân University (大學樹仁屯門 Đại Học Cây Nhân Thôn Môn) and Thôn Môn Lĩnh Nam University (大學嶺南屯門 Đại Học Lĩnh Nam Thôn Môn). Specialise in liberal arts. Category:China Category:Hong Kong Category:Rise of the Snow Lion Category:Geopolitics 2060s